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Friends of a Montauk woman who died last week shortly after childbirth are trying to raise money for her husband and their two young sons.

A GoFundMe page titled “Support for the Scheffer Boys” was set up on Saturday with the goal of raising $100,000 for Dan Scheffer, 38, and his two sons: 4-year-old Coen and the newborn, Benjamin. Mr. Scheffer is still reeling from the loss of his wife, Deborah Lee Scheffer, who died on Friday at the age of 36 after giving birth to Benjamin at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

“The purpose of this fund is not to cover funeral expenses, but rather to provide the Scheffer boys (Dan, Coen, and Baby Benjamin) with financial support throughout their future,” the web page says. “Being self-employed in Montauk, Dan will certainly face many challenges making a living while caring for the emotional and physical needs of his two boys.”

As of Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe page had raised nearly $34,000 for the family.

According to Bethany McLaughlan, Mr. Scheffer’s sister, who lives in Los Angeles, the GoFundMe page was set up by close friends of the Scheffers as a way to offer their financial assistance to Mr. Scheffer.

Ms. Scheffer was a stay-at-home mother, and Mr. Scheffer runs a property management company called Schorr Caretaker Services, which was passed down from his grandfather, Robert Schorr of Montauk. Ms. McLaughlan noted that her brother and his wife moved from Massachusetts to Montauk four years ago to care for Mr. Schorr after his wife, Charlotte, died.

Ms. McLaughlan said this week that the cause of her sister-in-law’s death is still being investigated, though it is being blamed on complications of childbirth.

She said on Monday that Benjamin was transferred to Stony Brook University Hospital after his birth due to “breathing issues," but quickly added that doctors expect him to make a full recovery and to be home sometime this week.

“Deb was quiet, witty and funny,” Ms. McLaughlan said of her late sister-in-law. “She was so thoughtful and loved her family. Dan and Coen were everything to her and she was so excited for everything with the new baby. We now truly know what it means to have heartache, but Dan is being so strong for his kids.”

Those interested in donating can visit gofundme.com/SchefferBoys for more information.

I don't believe 27east locks any articles. I am not a subscriber and am having no trouble reading this story, and the person I forwarded it too also can read it without a problem. Not sure what issue you are having.

The Press does employ a metered paywall system, in which any reader may view seven complete articles per month. If the reader would like to read additional articles, they are required to subscribe--literally for pennies per day. The Press is a local business that employs local people to provide the news to people on the East End. We feel the value of a subscription is self evident and would hope that readers would also recognize that and support a local business that supports local families.

Perhaps the link for the Fund page could be included in the beginning of the article ( as well as future articles ) This way there’s no issue regarding the paywall and the article serves its true intended purpose..... to help this family.